GERD, or Gastric Esophageal Reflux Disease, is a backflow of acid and undigested material from the stomach into the swallowing tube or esophagus. In most patients this is due to a transient relaxation of the “gate” or lower esophageal sphincter (LES) that keeps the lower end of the esophagus closed when a person is not swallowing food or liquids. The esophagus is not able to cope with acid as well as the stomach and is easily injured. This acid can irritate and sometimes damage the lining on the inside of the esophagus. In some cases, untreated GERD can facilitate the occurrence of Esophageal Cancer.
GERD has a pronounced recurrent character and it generates symptoms such as heartburn, throat inflammation and soreness, difficulty swallowing and difficulty breathing. Obviously, anything that puts pressure on the abdomen, such as tight belts or girdles, can worsen the problem and GERD can be aggravated by a number of factors, including alcohol, tobacco, medications containing aspirin, obesity and stress. When a person lies down to sleep or in particular lies down right after eating, it is easier for food and acid to come back into the esophagus and throat.
Chronic laryngitis, hoarseness, sleep apnea, laryngospasm, wheezing, chronic cough, frequent throat clearing, and snoring are all likely to occur if a person suffers from night-time reflux (GERD), labeled more accurately as Sleep-time Reflux. When lying flat on the back, the stomach is above the esophagus, which, as a result, allows acidic stomach contents to flow more easily through a weakened LES into the esophagus and on to the pharynx where it may also follow a path of least resistance to the trachea and sinus cavities. The end result is some or all of the above mentioned symptoms of GERD.
According to the U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services (National Institutes of Health, NIH Publication #94-1447), 1 in 33 or 3.00% or 8.2 million people in the United States alone suffer from Gastric Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) and 60% of babies born every year in the United States are born with GERD. The most common immediate recommendation by doctors in the U.S. for adults with GERD is to elevate the head of the bed 6 to 8 inches.
The most common recommendation by pediatricians to parents with newborns suffering from GERD is to keep the infant in an upright sitting position at all times—including sleep time. This often means that these newborns spend almost all of their time being held by an adult or in a car seat or carrier because of the incline position of these devices. Adults also attempt to combat GERD by stacking pillows under their heads and upper bodies or by using a short, shoulder supporting foam wedge under these same areas. But this propping does not work because the feet are still not lower than the stomach and GERD symptoms can be worse when the body bends at the waist. With these approaches, the stomach contents can be trapped above the LES and the symptoms continue or worsen. Also, in the propped up from the waist position, the person may only sleep in one position—on the back—and the short wedge or the mountain of pillows must be stored during the day as the bed cannot be made with them in place.
Most or all relevant devices are ineffective primarily because they only serve to elevate the head while not lowering the feet relative to the stomach, and/or limit sleeping to only the back position throughout the sleeping period. It is desirable to have an inflatable incline mattress that is inexpensive, portable, allows the bed to be made as it remains in place, or, alternatively, easily stored and even transported for use elsewhere. Further it is beneficial for individuals to sleep in many positions, and effectively relive GERD by elevating the head without causing the user's body to bend at the waist. It was for this reason that the present inventor, Minson, filed for and obtained U.S. Pat. No. 7,607,185 directed to such an inflatable, inclined air mattress.
Because the relative body elevations are critical to combating GERDS using such a mattress, prior internal air bladder and air baffle designs proved inadequate. Providing an inclined sleep surface without bulges or voids proved important to avoiding dips in the mattress in the area of the user's hips. If the user's hips sink into the mattress, as can happen with larger users or when some of the air leaks out of the mattress, then the user can bend at the waist while sleeping. Accordingly, a new air baffle and support design was needed to combat this problem, even when the inclined mattress is accommodating two users in the same bed.